What boxer has earned the most money (purely from Boxing) without ever holding a world title?

He was indeed.

 

this is the winning answer
i forgot about this fight despite hanging onto every word in the year long build up to it

10 million dollars in 1982

trsanslate that into todays money or even better property
and that would be worth at least 70 million in todays money

if invested in london 300 million plus

 

The Holmes fight was only part of his total earnings too.

 

And would he have made that amount of money if he hadn’t slapped Vitali, spat on Wlad and got glasses by Haye? The fines and ban were definitely a sound investment.

 

Anthony Mundine would be up there he's never held the full version of a legit title.

 

David Tua has to be up there. Made 12 million from the Lennox Lewis bout alone.

 

Willie Dewitt won a silver medal at the Ogames and the was given 2.2 million contract in Canada by some company to promote him.

He got smashed by Bert Cooper in a dozen or so fights and retired with his decent sized pot of gold.

Not a record but not bad!!!!

 

Interesting thread.

 

Retired and went back to school and became a lawyer and now big important judge. Interesting how he could just leave the sport on a 6 win streak. Many fighters struggle to leave.

 

Peter McNeely against Mike Tyson. He became a household name from it despite being a terrible fighter. He even went on to fight the king of the 4 rounders Butterbean!

 

Oh, you're right. Maskaev was a champ too. I was just trying to think of guys who had rabid local fanbases that were never big in the US, so people here had no idea how big they were at home. For instance, Koki Kameda used to draw 40 million viewers in Japan. Acelino Freitas was a superstar in Brazil. Probably made a grip in endorsement deals, tv, and politics just like Pacquiao. But like Abraham and Maskaev they were champs.

It's hard to think of people who could make serious money without being a champion. Even the champions below welterweight might make no more than two hundred grand a year. For instance, Roman Gonzalez has only made about two million, and that's mostly from his last six fights on HBO. To make millions without a belt, you'd have to maybe be a mandatory for say De La Hoya or Ray Leonard. The only other way is to be a top ten heavyweight.

 

I'll throw in Audley Harrison

After the Olympic Gold he signed all sorts of endorsements and a big deal with the BBC for his first 10 fights, he had some big fights, won a European title and then got a world title shot against Haye and it was a big PPV fight and the fight was so bad it killed PPV boxing in the UK for a long period of time.

 

Yes i love that story!!

He left on a win streak because he was smart, boxing was never his only thing. He was smart enough to accept that he was good on a national level but couldnt compete at the top level.

 

I'd also add Brian Nielsen. I don't know how much in total he made in career earnings, but his networth today is 5 million.

 

Its nice to see ex boxers make the most of their earnings. So often not the case.